One in custody, one at large after car chase through Rocky Mount and Eldon

Thursday

Feb 21, 2013 at 10:56 AMFeb 21, 2013 at 10:59 AM

One suspect is in custody and another remains at large after a car chase through Rocky Mount and the City of Eldon which followed a reported burglary in progress Wednesday. The subject in custody was apprehended after jumping from the fleeing vehicle, while the other escaped into the woods.

One suspect is in custody and another remains at large after a car chase through Rocky Mount and the City of Eldon which followed a reported burglary in progress Wednesday. The subject in custody was apprehended after jumping from the fleeing vehicle, while the other escaped into the woods. Names of the suspects have not been released.On Feb. 20, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a burglary in progress in Timberlake Village Estates in the Rocky Mount area. As deputies responded, the suspects attempted to leave the scene in a dark blue minivan with a loud muffler, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.The first deputy neared the residence and spotted the vehicle. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle on Red Arrow Rd. in Rocky Mount, but the minivan refused to stop, the press release says.Pursuit began.Two other Morgan County deputies attempted to get to Route W in Miller County to block the vehicle, but were unable to get there before the minivan came through. The pursuit continued to Route Z in Miller County. As deputies chased the vehicle out of the Rocky Mount area, it headed toward the Eldon. The pursuit turned onto Hwy. 52 in Eldon and passed through the heart of the city before turning onto east on Hwy. 54.As the minivan slowed to turn onto Hwy. 54, a passenger in the fleeing vehicle jumped out and was immediately taken into custody by Morgan County deputies.The driver of the minivan continued on, the press release states, headed toward Jefferson City.As the fleeing vehicle traveled down Hwy. 54, it made a sudden stop, reportedly attempting to turn onto Atchison Rd. in Miller County. At that time, a Morgan County deputy's vehicle made contact with the minivan, pushing it off the roadway onto the shoulder of the road, the press release states.The driver of now-stopped minivan exited the vehicle and jumped onto the hood of the deputy's patrol car before fleeing into the woods.Officers continued the pursuit on foot, but lost the suspect amidst the trees. Deputies then returned to their vehicles and called in air support from the Missouri State Highway Patrol as well as an area K-9 officer.The Highway Patrol scouted the area from the air, but did not spot the subject. K-9 officers from both Osage Beach and Cole County searched the area, but neither was able to pick up the trail due to heavy officer foot traffic in the initial pursuit, according to the press release. The subject that was taken into custody was on a 24-hour hold at the Morgan County Detention Center Thursday awaiting formal charges from the prosecutor's office.Investigation of the burglary is ongoing, and the sheriff's office is attempting to make contact with the homeowners, the press release states.In addition to the Highway Patrol, the Osage Beach Police Department and the Cole County Sheriff's Office, the Eldon Police Department and Miller County Sheriff's Office also assisted in the incident.